Satellite brought closer to Earth to workParis (UPI) Nov 20, 2012
A European gravity-mapping satellite orbiting about 340 miles closer to Earth than any other satellite is to be brought even lower and closer, officials say.
The Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer, or GOCE, launched by the European Space Agency in 2009, is to have its orbit lowered by 12 miles to improve the resolution of its data-gathering instruments, ESA officials said.
Controllers have been reducing the height of the satellite's orbit by about 1,000 feet a day ... read more

Lifting The Ceiling On Terran Lifeforms
The parachuting thrill-seeker Felix Baumgartner is not the only living thing to plunge through the jet stream.
Recent studies have confirmed that microbes exist in the stratosphere, the atmosp ... more

Hubble Traps Galactic Fireflies
Luminous galaxies glow like fireflies on a dark night in this image snapped by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. The upper central galaxy in this image is a gigantic elliptical galaxy designated ... more

Black Holes and How to Use Them
A "black hole" is defined as a region of space where gravity is so great that it prevents anything, including light, from escaping. Einstein's theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficient ... more

Titan is also a green powerhouseNot only is Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Titan the world's most powerful supercomputer, it is also one of the most energy-efficient. Titan came in at number three on the Green500 list. Organized ... more

A Reborn Planetary Nebula
These images of the planetary nebula Abell 30, (a.k.a. A30), show one of the clearest views ever obtained of a special phase of evolution for these objects. The inset image on the right is a close-u ... more

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